Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Tuesday, 6 December 2005, 5:29 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Politics: Nats Election Campaign Short-Changes Media Of $112,500.00
Te Wânanga: Nepotism And Poor Accounting Cited In A-G's Report
Parliament: Scoop On Politics - Benson-Pope
Video: Palestinian Groups' Vigil Asks Captors To Free Harmeet Sooden
Health: NZ Becomes The Prozac Nation -
MORE HEADLINES
Human Rights Watch Cites Rice's Torture Claims Side-Step
EU Block Moves Silently On Tougher Asylum Standards
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Dennis Hans: Insights On The Naming Of CIA Analysts
Sam Smith: Hillary Clinton's Israel Conundrum
Ray McGovern Critiques The President's Latest Iraq Speech
Thomas Friedman in Stripped Trousers, Silk Stockings and Garters
MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
PM To Attend East-Asia Leader's Summit
Industry: Statistics NZ Reports Labour Cost Increase Trend
Foreign Affairs: PM Welcomes Turkey's PM To New Zealand
POLITICAL HEADLINES

Politics: Nats Election Campaign Short-Changes Media Of $112,500.00

- The National Party today confirmed it made an error in the booking of its broadcast radio and television advertising for the 2005 election campaign. Due to a misunderstanding between the Party and its advertising booking agency, the agency booked advertising for National on radio and television for the campaign totalling $900,000 excluding GST, instead of $900,000 including GST, as had been allocated by the Electoral Commission. See... National confirms GST error in broadcast spend [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00066.htm

Te Wânanga: Nepotism And Poor Accounting Cited In A-G's Report

- Political parties from all sides of The House are moving to proportion blame after an Auditor-General's report into Te Wânanga o Aotearoa cited examples of nepotism and poor accounting practice. Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen said in a release today: “The issues raised by the Auditor-General are serious and highlight concerns that the government has been pursuing with Te Wânanga o Aotearoa for some while.” See... Cullen on Auditor-General’s wânanga report [1] + A-G's Full Report Into Aspects of Te Wânanga o Aotearoa [2] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00063.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0512/S00055.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0512/S00028.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0512/S00012.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0512/S00018.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00067.htm

Parliament: Scoop On Politics

- Alastair Thompson reports that in question time today Social Development Minister David Benson Pope repeatedly refused to directly answer questions over his alleged involvement in a tennis ball incident that occurred at Bayfield High School 23 years ago. Questioned by ACT's Rodney Hide and National's Judith Collins Mr Benson-Pope three times repeated the answer: "I am one of the 19 people who either do not recall the events or do not believe they happened." This caused considerable consternation to Mr Hide who sought the speaker's intervention to insist on an answer to the question as to which of the two groups Mr Benson-Pope now believed he belonged - those who could not remember, or those who believed it didn't happen. See... David Benson-Pope Hedges In House On Tennis Ball [1] ALSO:Scoop Audio: PM's Presser December 5, 2005 [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00050.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00036.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00034.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00035.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00067.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00042.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00054.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00050.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00064.htm

Video: Palestinian Groups' Vigil Asks Captors To Free Harmeet Sooden

- Palestine groups held a vigil in Aotea Square in central Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday to show the world that Harmeet Sooden (pictured left) and his fellow captors are peaceful men. Harmeet Sooden was a member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and a friend to many in the group. SJP are calling on his captors to be merciful and release him and the other peace workers without harm. Harmeet is in Iraq solely for peaceful purposes and is passionate about taking an active role in giving humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people.Scoop Video: Peace Vigil Asks Captors To Release Harmeet [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00038.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00037.htm
[3] - http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EBF6D174-1C7F-470F-930B-BF53B6CFF0FB.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00088.htm
[5] - #9

Health: NZ Becomes The Prozac Nation -

In 2005 prescribing of SSRIs grew by 9.7 percent, reaching an all-time high of 584,000 prescriptions. The drugs, such as fluoxetine, paroxetine and citalopram, have been subject to international scrutiny after new data linked them with an increased risk of suicide, particularly among adolescents. Medsafe, the New Zealand drug safety authority, issued advice to prescribers in September 2004, advising them of the increased risks and advising them to monitor patients. See... SSRI prescribing up 9.7 percent despite warnings [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0512/S00019.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0512/S00024.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0512/S00012.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0512/S00014.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0512/S00028.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00055.htm

Human Rights Watch Cites Rice's Torture Claims Side-Step

- In remarks at the start of a five-day trip to Europe, the U.S. Secretary of State mischaracterized the U.S. government’s “rendition” of terrorist suspects to make it appear lawful, Human Rights Watch said today. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. government had not transported detainees to other countries “for the purpose” of interrogation using torture, but she failed to mention that the United States has transported detainees to countries such as Egypt and Syria where it knows torture is commonplace. The Convention Against Torture, to which the United States is a party, outlaws such a practice. See... U.S.: Rice Miscasts Policy on Torture [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00097.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00098.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00111.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00110.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00109.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00117.htm

EU Block Moves Silently On Tougher Asylum Standards

- A controversial European Union (EU) directive on asylum procedures adopted without discussion by the 25 EU member states in Brussels yesterday may lead to a serious downgrading of asylum standards in the EU and beyond, the United Nations refugee agency reports. See... EU Asylum Procedures: Bad for Refugees? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00116.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00112.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00105.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00099.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00095.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0512/S00089.htm

Dennis Hans: Insights On The Naming Of CIA Analysts

- Bob Woodward is Valerie Plame. Granted, he has a few more lines in his face and a less captivating hairdo, but in one very important sense he is indeed she: Both have job classifications or titles, or perceived job titles, that have little to do with their actual work, and this has led to a great deal of confusion among the news media and citizenry. See... Dennis Hans: Bob Woodward is Valerie Plame… [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00066.htm

Sam Smith: Hillary Clinton's Israel Conundrum

- SAM SMITH - History has a way of coming up with the wrong things at the wrong time. For example, just as Hillary Clinton is gearing up for her 2008 presidential run, increasing numbers of Democrats are diverging from her on Iraq. See... Sam Smith: The Democrats' Israeli Conundrum [1] RELATED:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00064.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00057.htm

Ray McGovern Critiques The President's Latest Iraq Speech

- He says "victory." But the bromide-heavy speech that President George W. Bush gave yesterday at the Naval Academy presents a clear strategy for quagmire and eventual disaster. See... Bush Speech Offers "Clear Strategy" For Disaster? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00061.htm

Thomas Friedman in Stripped Trousers, Silk Stockings and Garters

- If Michael Ignatieff is anything, it's connected, and I do not mean just to the relatively small establishment of Canada, I mean connected to the shadowy godfathers of world empire. Ignatieff has a rich career in America where truly loyal service, whether by natural or adopted sons, is always handsomely rewarded. See... Canada's Prince Of Darkness, Michael Ignatieff [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00060.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00065.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00063.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00062.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00059.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00058.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00056.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00055.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00053.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00044.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00043.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00052.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00049.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00051.htm

PM To Attend East-Asia Leader's Summit

- Prime Minister Helen Clark will attend the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December. The Summit brings together for the first time leaders from the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries, ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea) and Australia, New Zealand, and India. Helen Clark said that the New Zealand government welcomes the development of outward-looking and inclusive regional structures, and looks forward to playing a constructive role in the Summit. See... Prime Minister to attend East Asia Summit [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00061.htm

Industry: Statistics NZ Reports Labour Cost Increase Trend

- Labour costs rose 2.7 percent from the June 2004 quarter to the June 2005 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. This increase follows a 1.8 percent increase in the year to the June 2004 quarter. (Image courtesy of SupersizeMyPay.Com [1] ) See... Labour Costs Rise [2] ALSO:

[1] - http;//www.supersizemypay.com
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00059.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0512/S00017.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0512/S00058.htm

Foreign Affairs: PM Welcomes Turkey's PM To New Zealand

- Scoop Report: Kevin List reports that today the Prime Minister Helen Clark held a joint press conference with her Turkish counterpart the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A large Turkish media contingent seemed to want to traverse the vexed subject of divided Cyprus. See... Cyprus Crops Up On Turkish PM's Visit (With Press Conference Audio) [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00033.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00030.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00058.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00056.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0512/S00022.htm

POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00062.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0512/S00059.htm

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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